Tag Archives: Rocketown

In 2005, Love is Red -- then rising stars of Nashville’s hardcore scene -- found a fitting home on mega-metalcore label Abacus Records. A week after signing, they broke up.

Five years and dozens of bands later, LIR’s members are putting the past behind them for a celebratory, non-permanent reunion, set for Saturday, Dec. 18 at Rocketown's White Building (522 Fifth Ave. S., 843-4001). Joining them are two other reunited acts, Hollywood and Traitor, along with Ill Patriot and Bracewar.

We’re going to bet that well over half of the people who attend Thirty Seconds to Mars' concert on Sunday, Oct. 31 at Rocketown (601 Fourth Ave. S., 843-4001) weren’t alive back when Jared Leto had his first heartthrob reign, playing the brooding Jordan Catalano on ’90s TV cult favorite My So-Called Life.

That speaks to the rare triumph of the band, which has transcended the actor-turned-musician stigma and the band members' late 30s with a brand of forced, ridiculous arena rock anthems.

Before the Nashville area’s own Paramore paired up a pint-size frontwoman with a hard-driving band full of heavy metal thunder, there was, and is, Flyleaf, a Texas-based five-piece led by Lacey Mosley.

But as Paramore has moved on to acoustic ballads and hip-hop crossovers, Flyleaf’s turned even more ferocious. The band’s 2009 sophomore effort, Memento Mori, is packed with tightly clenched riffs and unhinged turns from Mosley.

Back when “How You Remind Me” hit airwaves, who among us thought, “now there’s a voice we’ll still be hearing from in 10 years?”

Somehow, where Creed faltered, Nickelback has held on, churning out ham-fisted rockers that continue to speak to millions. 2005’s All The Right Reasons was the band’s jaw-dropping second act, selling more than 8 million copies in an era when, uh, nobody sells 8 million copies.

Their latest, 2008’s Dark Horse, has matched its longevity, if not quite its numbers — the band released the disc’s eighth single last spring.

Nickelback returns to Nashville on Tuesday, September 14 for a show at Bridgestone Arena (501 Broadway, 770-7825). It kicks off at 6:15 p.m., and tickets run $59.67-$95.73.

Rocketown celebrated its official re-opening in its new location this week, with Contemporary Christian star/founder Michael W. Smith cutting the ribbon on the new space. (Check after the jump for video of the ribbon-cutting, shared by Smith's press folks.)

The long-loved all-ages spot relocated from its former home on Sixth Ave. S. in order to make way for the new convention center. Shows are now going to be held at Rocketown's 522 5th Ave. S. location, with its skatepark and shop landing at 601 4th Ave. S.

To get the new space off on the good foot, they're hosting a weekend of festivities, kicking off Friday (August 6) at 4 p.m. with a free block party that'll offer DJ-provided music, games, a food eating contest and other bits of family-friendly fun.

Saturday, Rocketown's Back to School Fest brings out a major cache of bands -- about two dozen of them, including main stage players Social Jet Lag and Linear Downfall -- on two stages, starting up at 1 p.m. Tickets run $10, and are available via Ticketweb.com.

Sunday's Mayor's First Day After Party brings some more live music, including locals Pujol and Since Forever. That event is free, and runs 5-8 p.m.

Watch the video at the top for a primer on the Rocketown changes. Visit Rocketown.com for more about the grand opening weekend festivities.Continue reading →